Battle Chasers: Nightwar

Last updated
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
Battle Chasers Nightwar cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Airship Syndicate
Publisher(s) THQ Nordic
Director(s)
Designer(s)
  • Steve Madureira
  • Hakan Borazanci
Programmer(s)
  • Christopher S. Brooks
  • Andrew Nguyen
  • Andres Ortiz Suarez
Artist(s) Grace Liu
Writer(s) Joe Madureira
Composer(s)
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
Release
October 3, 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
    • WW: May 15, 2018
  • Linux
    • WW: May 28, 2018
  • Android, iOS
    • WW: August 1, 2019
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a turn-based role-playing video game developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. It was released in October 2017 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, [1] and in May 2018 for Nintendo Switch and Linux. [2] [3] Based on the Battle Chasers fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, the game involves the cast of that series being marooned on an island and being forced to stop the plans of an evil sorceress in order to escape.

Contents

The game received positive reviews from critics, who cited the game's graphics and visual style as a strong point, but criticized its difficulty balance and high level of grinding.

Plot

The main cast of characters include Garrison, a brooding swordsman, Calibretto, a kindhearted war golem, Red Monika, a rogue, Knolan, an old wisecracking mage, and Gully, a young girl with a pair of magical gauntlets who is searching for her father. [4] When the airship of the game's main characters is shot down over a mysterious island, they are forced to contend with a large group of ne'er-do-wells who are flocking there due to the discovery of a motherlode of mana. This includes Destra, an evil sorceress. [5]

Gameplay

Players explore the game's overworld in linear fashion, fighting enemies at set instances, until they enter a dungeon, where they explore in an isometric view that has been compared to Diablo . There, they can fight enemies, and dodge traps using special abilities. During battle, the game features an "overcharge" mechanic, where using non-magical attacks generates "overcharge" that can be used in place of mana. [4] The player can set the difficulty of dungeons before entering, and completing dungeons at higher difficulties results in receiving more experience points. [4]

Development

Battle Chasers: Nightwar was the first game developed by Airship Syndicate, a company formed of former Vigil Games staff. Though Airship are based in the United States, the game is a traditional Japanese role-playing game, with some additions such as procedurally generated dungeons. [6] [7] The game was part-funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, raising $856,354 towards its development in October 2015. [8]

Reception

Battle Chasers: Nightwar received positive reviews, with an aggregate score of 78/100 on Metacritic for the Microsoft Windows version. [9]

Rich Meister of Destructoid rated the game 8/10, calling it "fun and visually striking", but criticized a jump in difficulty that led to grinding as the player got deeper into the game. [4] Bryan Vitale of RPG Site also rated it 8/10, calling the narrative and gameplay unoriginal but saying that it is more than the sum of its parts due to its novel presentation. [26] TJ Hafer of IGN similarly rated the game 8/10, saying that it is a "skillfully modernized" retro-style RPG, but criticizing the characters as "two-dimensional", saying that character development was lacking and that they did not "grow, evolve, or face personal adversity". [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Madureira</span> Comic book artist and video game developer

Joe Madureira, often called Joe Mad, is an American comic book artist and game developer, best known for his work on Darksiders, Marvel Comics' Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned comic book Battle Chasers. He is the founder of video game development companies Vigil Games and Airship Syndicate.

<i>Battle Chasers</i> American fantasy comic book series

Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was characterized by scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16 months for issue #7. Madureira produced a total of nine issues in four years, a pace for which he was criticized, before leaving the comic industry to pursue a career as a video game designer. The cliffhanger ending of issue #9 was not resolved for over 20 years; issue #10 was originally scheduled for November 2001, put on indefinite hiatus with Madureira's exit from the industry, and returned only as abstract plans and concept drawings from 2017 to early 2023. Issue #10 was published in June 2023 and continued the plot after a two-page recap.

<i>Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobos Dungeon</i> 2007 video game

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is a 2007 role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the Wii. It is an installment in the Chocobo series that focuses on Chocobo and his quest to free a town lost in time from eternal forgetfulness. It is a loose sequel to Chocobo's Dungeon 2 on the PlayStation.

<i>Darksiders</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Darksiders is an hack and slash action-adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. The game's inspiration is from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with the player taking the role of the horseman War. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on January 5, 2010, in North America, January 7 in Australia, January 8 in Europe, and March 18 in Japan. The Microsoft Windows version was released in North America and Australia on September 23, and in Europe on September 24. A parallel sequel, Darksiders II, was released on August 14, 2012.

<i>Dungeon Defenders</i> 2010 video game

Dungeon Defenders is a hybrid multiplayer video game developed by Trendy Entertainment that combines the genres of tower defense and action role-playing game. It is based on a showcase of Unreal Engine 3 named Dungeon Defense. The game takes place in a fantasy setting where players control the young apprentices of wizards and warriors and defend against hordes of monsters. A sequel titled Dungeon Defenders II was released in 2015.

<i>Rainbow Moon</i> 2012 video game

Rainbow Moon is a tactical role-playing game developed by SideQuest Studios and published by Eastasiasoft. It was released through the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. The game borrows heavily from the dungeon crawling genre while the player traverses the game world, but incorporates elements from tactical role-playing games when enemies are engaged in battle.

<i>Gang Beasts</i> 2017 multiplayer beat em up party game

Gang Beasts is a beat 'em up party game developed and published by English indie studio Boneloaf. The title would originally be published by Double Fine Presents until May 2020 and self-published afterwards, while it would later be published in physical form by Skybound Games. The game released for Windows, macOS, Linux, and PlayStation 4 on 12 December 2017, following an early access period for the PC platforms that began in August 2014. It was also released on the Xbox One on 27 March 2019. A version for Nintendo Switch was released on 12 October 2021.

<i>Quest of Dungeons</i> 2014 video game

Quest of Dungeons is a roguelike video game released on March 25, 2014 by Portuguese developer Upfall Studios. The game has graphics resembling 16-bit game consoles. It was initially released for Windows, Mac, and iOS, then for Xbox One via ID@Xbox on September 7, 2015. In February 2016, it was announced that the game was being developed for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS and was released on September 29, 2016. It was later released for PlayStation 4 on January 17, 2017. On August 2, 2017, it was announced that it would be coming to the Nintendo Switch.

<i>The Caligula Effect</i> 2016 video game

The Caligula Effect is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Aquria. It was released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan in June 2016, and by Atlus USA in North America and Europe in May 2017. A remake of the game, The Caligula Effect: Overdose, was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in May 2018, and worldwide by NIS America in March 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. An anime adaptation of the same name premiered in April 2018.

Enter the Gungeon is a 2016 bullet hell roguelike game developed by Dodge Roll and published by Devolver Digital. Set in the firearms-themed Gungeon, gameplay follows several player characters called Gungeoneers as they traverse procedurally generated rooms to find a gun that can "kill the past". The Gungeoneers fight against bullet-shaped enemies, which are fought using both conventional and exotic weapons. Enter the Gungeon features a permadeath system, causing the Gungeoneers to lose all obtained items and start again from the first level upon death. Between playthroughs, players can travel to an area called the Breach, where they can converse with non-player characters and unlock new items randomly encountered while playing.

<i>Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers</i> 2016 beat em up video game developed by Magic Pockets

Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game based on multiple Cartoon Network series developed by French studio Magic Pockets and published by GameMill Entertainment in the North American release and Maximum Games in the European release. It was released for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 8 November 2016. The game features characters from various Cartoon Network shows, including Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Clarence, Regular Show, Steven Universe, and Uncle Grandpa.

Darksiders is a hack and slash action-adventure video game franchise created by Vigil Games, now developed by Gunfire Games, which consists of some of the original members of Vigil. The series is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where mankind faces near-extinction and angels fight a losing battle against the demon hordes for control over the world. Among them are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the last of the Nephilim who are tasked to bring balance to the universe.

<i>City of Brass</i> (video game) 2018 video game

City of Brass is a single-player first-person dungeon crawl video game, set in a procedurally generated, Arabian Nights-themed city of interconnecting corridors, courtyards and rooms. Players assume the role of a thief, fighting to reach a treasure hidden in the heart of a mythical city filled with traps and enemies. It was developed by Australian independent video game studio Uppercut Games and was announced on 6 July 2017 as being in development for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The Windows version was released on Steam via its Early Access program on 18 September 2017.

<i>The Mummy Demastered</i> 2017 Metroidvania video game by WayForward

The Mummy Demastered is a Metroidvania video game developed by WayForward Technologies and based on the 2017 film The Mummy. It takes place concurrently with the events of the film, with players playing as an unnamed Prodigium soldier under the command of Dr. Henry Jekyll who must fight the evil forces of Princess Ahmanet. The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2017. The Nintendo Switch version was released in Japan on July 30, 2020, while a version for Amazon Luna was released on October 20 of the same year. The game received positive reviews.

<i>Ittle Dew 2</i> 2016 video game

Ittle Dew 2 is an action-adventure game developed by Swedish indie studio Ludosity and originally published by Nicalis, and the sequel to the 2013 title Ittle Dew. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 15, 2016. An updated version of the game titled Ittle Dew 2+ was released for the Nintendo Switch on November 14, 2017; the updated content was eventually released on the Windows version on May 26, 2019. The Switch is the only platform that received a physical release of the game.

<i>Darksiders Genesis</i> 2019 action role-playing video game

Darksiders Genesis is a top-down hack and slash action role-playing video game developed by American studio Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. The game was released for Stadia and Windows on 5 December 2019, and was released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 14 February 2020. It is considered a spin-off prequel game in the Darksiders series and introduces the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, Strife, as the protagonist. Strife can also team up with his brother, War. Upon release, the game received positive reviews, with many reviewers praising the combat.

<i>Reverie</i> (video game) 2018 video game

Reverie is an action-adventure video game developed by New Zealand-based indie studio Rainbite, first released on 5 April 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airship Syndicate</span> American video game development company

Airship Syndicate Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game development company based in Austin, Texas. Founded by several ex-Vigil Games staff including Joe Madureira and Ryan Stefanelli, in 2014, Airship Syndicate is most known for developing Battle Chasers: Nightwar (2017), Darksiders Genesis (2019) and Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (2021).

<i>Super Neptunia RPG</i> 2018 video game

Super Neptunia RPG is a 2018 side-scrolling role-playing video game in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series developed by Artisan Studios, with assistance from Idea Factory and Compile Heart. It was published by Idea Factory for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows via Steam. In the game, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert, all suffering from amnesia, oppose Bombyx Mori, a group that forces citizens to create 2D video games while forbidding other games.

<i>Othercide</i> 2020 video game

Othercide is a horror-theme tactical role-playing video game developed by French independent video game development studio Lightbulb Crew and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on July 28, 2020. The game later released for the Nintendo Switch on September 10 that same year. It had received generally positive reviews upon release.

References

  1. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (June 1, 2017). "Darksiders dev's Battle Chasers: Nightwar gets a release date". Eurogamer . Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Switch On: Battle Chasers: Nightwar finally gets a date on Nintendo Switch®". THQ Nordic. April 5, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Linux version is out now!". Steam. May 28, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Review: Battle Chasers: Nightwar". destructoid. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  5. ↑ Clark, Justin (2017-10-02). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  6. ↑ David Tach (2015-09-01). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar revealed". Polygon . Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  7. ↑ Matt Purslow (2016-11-10). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar sees Joe Madureira's cancelled comic evolve into an American JRPG". PCGamesN . Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  8. ↑ Airship Syndicate (2015-09-08). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar". Kickstarter . Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  9. 1 2 "Battle Chasers: Nightwar for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  10. ↑ "Battle Chasers: Nightwar for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  11. ↑ "Battle Chasers: Nightwar for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  12. ↑ "Battle Chasers: Nightwar for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  13. ↑ Meister, Rich (12 October 2017). "Review: Battle Chasers: Nightwar". Destructoid . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  14. ↑ Slead, Evan (2 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar review". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  15. ↑ Reeves, Ben (2 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review - Grinding the Night Away". Game Informer . Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  16. ↑ Clark, Justin (3 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". GameSpot . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  17. ↑ Clark, Justin (15 May 2018). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review - Switch it Up". GameSpot . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  18. ↑ Hafer, TJ (3 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". IGN . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  19. ↑ Lane, Gavin (14 May 2018). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  20. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (11 May 2018). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  21. ↑ Watson, Eric (20 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  22. ↑ Douglas, Dante (2 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar review". Polygon . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  23. ↑ Tekaia, Pascal (20 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review (PS4)". Push Square . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  24. ↑ Ramsey, Robert (14 October 2017). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". RPGamer. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  25. ↑ Delmage, Greg (28 November 2018). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar". RPGFan . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  26. ↑ Vitale, Bryan. "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". www.rpgsite.net. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  27. ↑ Hafer, T. J. (2017-10-03). "Battle Chasers: Nightwar Review". IGN. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.